Indicator-post for valves.



E. H. WHITNEY.

'INDIGATOR POST FOR VALVES.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 2a, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1916.

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INDICATOR-POST FOB VALVES.

specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mal. 15, 1910- ;-grnlication filed July 26, 1909. :Serial No.509,658.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. 'WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at llaierford, in the county of Saratoga and State of New .York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicator- Posts "for Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of in dicators which are used in connection with" such an event the targets within the indicator post are worse than useless, or they become misleadin in that they do not re cord the true condition of the valve.

The object of mv invention is to provide a valve, which is lo'iated beneath the surface of the gr-cund and actuated by a rotatable spindle, with an indicator to indicate the position of the gate or gates in the valve case, whether they are open or shut; and means comiected with the stem for operating the valve whereby the indicator is made to show whether the valve is in or outof working order, and whether or not the valve can be used for turning on water in case of iii-c.

This invention in addition to the ordinary open and shut targe ts placed within the indicator po t as' usually constructed, has slqirplemcin'ary targets marked Out of order" which appear under certain conditions at the same windows where the open andflshut ta rgcts are displayed.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the invention. Fig.

2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken at right angles to the section of Fig. 1, ofthc head ,or upper end of the indicator post. Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Figs 4 and 5 are detail ,views of the operating screw and the tell tales. Figs. 6, 7 and 8, relate to modifications of the construction of the invention.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts in the several figures of drawing. The valve bodylO, Fig. 1, contains the usual gate or gates, the open or closing of which it is desired to. effect, and also to indicate their position and determine whether or not they are in working order. The spindle or stem 11, connected with a valve in the body 10, has a squared end 12 and for the purpose of illustrating this invention the stem is shown in a broken condition as at 13. A coupling or socket 16, is fitted onto the squared end 12, of the valve stem 11, and a square or round rod 14, with squared upper end 17, is extended to connect with the operating screw 15, said'operating screw being cored out interiorly' and formed with a squared socket to receive the squared upper end of the extension rod or stem 14.

The operating scrdw is provided at its upper end with a square or angular wrench head 18, and a collar 19, resting upon the cover 21, of the indicator post head 22. The operating screw is shown with the threaded portion 15, and unthreaded portions 23, 23, (see Fig. 1), and is retained and rotatably connected. to the cover 21 by means of the screw collar 24, which is properly and suitably pinned in place.

The indicator herein shown consists of a target case 25, iuteriorly screw-threaded at one end as at 20, and adapted to engage with the threaded portion 15, of the operating screw socket, and prevented from dropping off by the nut 27. The target case 25, carlies the two plates 28, 28, marked Open and Shut respectively, and the two Out of order plates 29 and'29; constituting the tell-tale.

. The target case 25, and the attached plates 28, 28, 29 and 29, are prevented from rotat ing, when the valve is in its normal working position, by the grooves 3O, 30, on the case engagin the lugs orribs 31, 31, on the interior o the indicator post head 22.

The arrangement of the indicator post in connection with the valve under the ground is in the usual manner; 1'. the valve 10, is laid in a trench, and the cover of the valve carries a flange 32, to which the flange of the lower section 33, of the indi cator post, is bolted. The indicator post is tween the parts being telescopic, this tele- --scopic portion 34 of the post being belowfthe ground line.

The head 22, of the post has openings pr windows on two opposite sides as at 35, through which one reads the targets or telltale plates.

In operation of my invention it will be seen by turning the upper squared end 18 of the-operating screw socket 15, by a wrench or otherwise, and thereby rotating the connectingrod or stem 14:, the tell-tale is raised or lowered by means of the screw thread on the socket accordin to the direction of rotation of said exten ed stem 12, and the telltale plates 28, 28, after a definite and predetermined number of turns of the operating screwfsocket corresponding to the number of turns'required to 0 en the valve over which the post is set, wil be visible at the windows 35, 35. a

The particular object ofthis invention is to indicate when the 'valve stem or the extension stem is out of order or broken, and which is accomplished in thefollowmg manher: The usualfeonstr'nction of all valves'is that when the valve is fully o ened or closed the moving parts within t e valve case strike the-top and the bottom of the valve respectively, or are limited in their movements. As above stated and described the open and shuttargets appear at the windows in the post head at these definite times of limitations of travel of the moving parts within the valve case.- In the event of the connection between the tell-tale and the valve stem becoming broken or disconnected, the tell-tale will not be limited in its travel but the target will move past the windows, or in other words, overtravel. Advantage is taken of this over-travel to provide just sufiicient screw thread in the socket 15 so that the tell-tale will move a re nired distance to display Out of order p ates at the windows. When'these plates appear, the screw threads of the target case 25, run out of engagement with the threads of the operating screw socket 15 and onto a blank space 23, as shown in position by Fig. 1.

It is apparent that if the screw threads of the target case are on a blank space of the socket, then the socket may be turned an infinite number of times without moving the targets up or down.

.: To'the manipulator of the post it is evident by the wording on the target and by the freedom\ of revolution of the screw socket for an indefinite time, that-thevalve and its post is in an inoperative condition.

I do not confine yself to the particular construction in whiz zli the operating screw for the target has unthreaded portions for the purpose of disengaging the screw thread rod is bro of the target, but any other nieansof disen gagement whereby an Out of order plate W1 1 appear to the observer in the place of the open and shut targetf In Figs. 7, 8 is shown a modification of the invention in which the tell-tale in lieu of running oil thethread on to a blank space or unthreaded portion, the slot 30 of the tell-tale moves out of engagement with the guide-31, and when it does so, the tell-tale isfree to revolve with the operating screw and-cause the targets to appear at the windows.

Havin nowfully described my invention, what I c aim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An indicator for showing the inoperativeness of valves comprising a post, a valve stem adapted to be connected to a valve, an indicator and means for roperly placing said indicator when said valve stem is broken or disconnected from said valve.

2. An indicator for showing the inopera-' tiveness of valves comprising a hollow ost, a r d and broken valve stem. inclosed within the post adapted to be connected-to a valve, an inoperative indicator, and means .for operating the valve stem and rod and properly placin the indicator when said stem or on or. disconnected from .said valve. i f

3. An indicator for showing the inoperativeness of underground valves comprising a hollow post having a side oening, an extended valve stem adapted to connected to a valve, an inoperative indicator, and means for operating the valve stem and moving the indicator before said openin when 'said stem is broken or disconnecte from said valve.

4. An indicator for showing the inoperativeness of valves comprising a post, a valve stem ada ted to be connected to a valve, a screw soc at on said valve stem, an inoperative indicator mounted on the screw socket and adapted to be operated thereby on abnormal movement of a broken or disconnected valve stem, and means forirotating the valve stem.

5. An indicator for showing the inoperat-iveness of valves comprising a hollow post having an opening, a valve stem within said post and adapted to be connected to a valve, a screw socket on said valve stem having screw threads on its middle art and un-' threaded or blank portion on its upper and lower sections, an indicator engaging and operated by the screw socket and moved over I said opening, and means for rotating the stem adapted to be connected to a valve, a.

7. An indicator for showing the 'inopera tiveness of underground valves comprising a hollow post having a side opening, a valve tell-tale registering with said opening and indicating Whether said valve stem has been disconnected or rotated beyond its normal 1novement,means for connecting said telltaleto the valve stem, and means for operating the valve stem.

- 8. Anindicator for showing the inoperativeness of valves comprising a hollow post having an opening and into ral ribs, a valve stem within said post and a apt'ed to be connected to a valve, a screw socket on said valve stem having screw threads on its middie part and unthreaded or blank arts at its v EDWIN H. WHITNEY;

Witnesses:

CHARLES L. MEAD, BYRON FLACK. 

